Falls
by Piconash
Summary: The illicit pleasure I have taken from his fixation on me still troubles me sometimes. I remind myself to reassure him every chance I get that I want him as much as he wants me.
1. Chapter 1

"I thought I'd find you here," I hear him say softly. He's only a short distance away, but the way his words fan over my ears make it feel as though we're lovers in an intimate embrace. _Yeah right_, I think. _He wishes_.

_So do you_, the traitorous voice inside my head reminds me.

I turn my head to face him. He is sauntering over to where I'm standing on the middle of the long boardwalk by the Falls.

"Oh really?" I ask him, quirking an eyebrow. "You just thought I'd be all the way out here?"

He smiles that smile, the one with the dimples. It unnerves me.

I'm no longer afraid of him. Or rather, I'm not afraid he'll kill me like he's killed countless others in his long existence. I'm afraid of how he makes me feel, even if I don't want to admit it. When he smiles like that, I see the wicked; but I also see the man who just wants to be loved. The man who wants to be loved by _me_. He's never said it explicitly, but I'm not stupid. I can see it in his eyes.

"Well, I may have been tipped off," he chuckles, finally reaching me.

"Tipped off, eh? Is that what they call stalking these days?"

He smiles at me before looking at the majestic Falls. It's so easy with him, and that why it's so hard. He's beginning to feel more like home to me.

"I want to keep an eye on you, Caroline. For your safety," he starts, and I can tell there's more.

"And?" I ask, refusing to look at him.

"And because I like to be close to you," he admits, to my surprise. While he is usually forthcoming to me about his intentions, he never lets himself become vulnerable.

"Klaus," I admonish. He snaps his head to face me.

"Don't," he bites out.

"It could never work," I say the familiar words, as I've said them a thousand times now.

"You don't know that. You won't even try."

I nod my head. This conversation we've had over and over again, always starting and ending the same way. My frequent dismissals should have caused him to lose interest months ago. Any other guy would have given up. But I've learned that Klaus is not like any other guy.

He sighs. I can tell he is getting frustrated with me. I don't blame him; I'm frustrated with myself.

"Just answer me this: what is stopping you? If you don't want me, fair enough, but I don't think that's the real reason, love," he says, looking at me in such a way that it's obvious he's lived a thousand years. His face may tell a tale of youth, but his eyes are as old as his soul.

"I…" I shake my head, utterly confused. I can't think straight when it comes to him, and it gets worse the closer he is to me.

"I don't know," I answer him honestly.

"I thought it was Tyler, at first," I admit after minutes of silence. This is further then we've been before. "But that's a… _non-issue_ now. My friends, maybe?" I suggest pathetically, shrugging my shoulders.

I look up to him, ashamed for proving him with such a pitiful response to his rare demonstration of sincerity. I am off-put to see him smiling down at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What?" I ask.

"You sort of just admitted you like me," he says with a laugh. I can't help but smile back at him. It has been an unspoken thing, our mutual… attraction. Something I never dared say to even myself, but it was weaved into every look, every conversation, every mention of his name.

"Anyway, if your friends don't want you to be happy…"

"It's not that. Look what you've done to them," I try to reason.

"Look what they've done to _me_, love. It's not just one sided. You and I have managed to forgive each other," he says.

"Oh, have we?" I challenge him.

"You wouldn't be talking to me if you truly hated me, sweetheart. And if I hadn't forgiven you for all the times you used my affection against me, well…" he trails off, knowing that I know what he means. If he didn't forgive me, he would have killed me by now.

"Caroline, I want you… have wanted you, for some time now," he explains. "The ball is in your court, so to say," I look at him then, confused by his words. Is he conceding? Giving up, after all this time? I am not prepared for this.

"Klaus," I begin, but he stops me by gently grasping my face in his hands.

"You are young, Caroline. You have a lot living to do. I will not fault you for being scared, or unsure. I would rather you tell me 'not now' than throw yourself into something you're not ready for. That will only hurt both of us in the end," he whispers to me.

A feeling of foreboding takes over my being with his words.

"Why do I feel like this is goodbye?" I ask.

"I could never say goodbye to you, love. I'm far too selfish. But if time is what you need, I can give that to you."

"Really? You'd actually leave me alone? No more stalking?" I question, trying to lighten the mood. He gives me a half smile and drops his hands before turning back to admire the Falls. I'm overcome with the loss of his touch, so I shift closer to him. No matter how subtle I am, I know he notices my movement.

"I would if you ask it of me, Caroline. You know I can't deny you much of anything," he says, but he doesn't face me.

Six months ago, this would have been more that I could have ever hoped for. But now? The thought of him leaving me, even if it's _for_ me, is too depressing. The illicit pleasure I have taken from his fixation on me still troubles me sometimes, but less so now that I find myself equally as captivated.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," I say. And I mean it, about almost every part of my life. I am a vampire now, everything is different.

"That is to be expected. But just remember Caroline. The world has opened up to you, not closed around you. Knowing what you want to do is not necessary right now, but knowing that you can do _anything_ is," he says. I close my eyes and take in his words.

When I open them, he's gone.


	2. Chapter 2

_I miss you_. I hurry up and press send before I can delete the words. Of course I immediately regret it when my phone confirms that the message has been sent, but I'm still glad I did it. Months of friendly exchanges about the weather and any other safe topic I can think of have only left me wanting more. Wanting more of him, that is. He left so abruptly, so suddenly. The first time he told me that he was leaving town, it never actually happened due to his long-dead mother reappearing. The second time however, he was gone before I could open my eyes.

He hasn't told me where he is, but I haven't asked. It would be too much of a temptation to hop on the first plane out of Richmond. I don't know if it's because of him, or me, or them, but I feel almost no connection to my friends anymore. There is no hostility, but I realize now, since he's been gone, that I'm not much use to any of them anymore. While not surprising, it was still a bitter pill to swallow.

* * *

I know my time here in Mystic Falls is at its end. There's nothing left for me here. I would be leaving for college anyway at this point, and the need to branch out and see the world for myself is as much a human need and it is a vampiric one.

_It's not just that though, is it?_ My subconscious has been heckling me non-stop, nearly enough to drive me crazy.

_You should have gone with him! _I want to tell myself to shut up, but I know it's no use. He wanted to give me the opportunity to live, to be a vampire out in the world. Maybe that would be the healthy thing to do. Only, every time I think about where to start, all I can remember are is words.

"I'll take you. Wherever you want. Rome. Paris. Tokyo," his voice is as clear as day in my head. I smile when I think back to that night. Sure, it ended horribly, but with Klaus, nothing is ever perfect. That's what's so perfect about it.

I hold my phone in my hands, willing it to alert me to a new message from him. After ten solid minutes, I concede that he's probably otherwise engaged. He's never been one to wait to text back. Contemporary social etiquette doesn't apply to him. Not many rules do.

It's late, and I'm bored. With no desire to see my friends or occupy my time with any other activity, I close my eyes. I'm not particularly tired, but I let myself conjure up my latest recurring dream. Instead of blubbering my way through our last exchange, I confess to him my true feelings. I can almost feel his lips on mine, the consummation of our long drawn out declarations. He would tell me that he's waited a thousand years for me, and would wait a thousand more. I tell him that he has me, heart and body. I tell him to take me away, to show me the world. Then I wake up, unsatisfied and frustrated.

But I haven't woken up. I remain asleep.

In my dream, I open my eyes and Klaus is still there.

"I miss you," I repeat my text to him.

"I miss you too, love," he tells me, looking at me wistfully.

"Me," I say with purpose, watching the Falls. If it wasn't for the overwhelming noise, one could think it was clouds, not water falling. My whole life I've lived here and never really appreciated the beauty. Now that I know my departure is imminent, I see my town differently. It does nothing to change my mind, however.

"What's that?" he asks, clearly confused by my statement.

"You asked me what was stopping me. I told you that I didn't know, but we both know I lied. It was me. I wasn't ready to accept it… to accept you. I'm ready now," I tell him, looking him in the eye. "I want you back. I know that I need you, and not just to show me the world, or how to live as a vampire. I just want you, Klaus. I always have."

"You don't know how good it feels to finally hear you say that, love. It's all I needed to hear," he says, kissing my lips softly.

When I open my eyes, he's gone.

* * *

"Caroline. Sweetheart. Wake up."

I open my eyes. He's here.

"Klaus?" I sit up on my bed, still in yesterday's clothes and on top of the covers. But that doesn't matter. He's here.

"In the flesh this time, love," he smiles that smile, the one with the dimples. It makes my dead heart soar. Almost so much that I nearly miss his words.

"Wait, what?" I ask.

"I confess I've been… visiting you, in your dreams. It was mostly just to make you were safe, but I admit it wasn't totally selfless, either, I just…" he trails off, looking bashful and I smile. It has always made me secretly happy that I can turn the most powerful creature on Earth into a nervous wreck.

I laugh and touch his arm, letting him know that I'm not angry. I am curious though.

"So, these recurring dreams, are they of your making?"

"No. Though I possess that ability, I wouldn't play with your subconscious like that. You're too precious to me, Caroline," he tells me, smoothing my messy hair away from my face.

"But last night it was different."

"That was all you, sweetheart. It's why I'm here now," he says, looking into my eyes.

"I meant it, every word. I want to go with you! Let's leave now!" I'm filled with a sense of excitement that's been missing from my life for too long.

"Whatever you want, Caroline," he says.

* * *

After an emotional goodbye to my mother, and a short but sweet farewell to my friends, I find myself in the passenger seat of Klaus's rented SUV. I've packed too many bags, but not nearly half of what I own.

"So where to first?" I ask him, eager to travel, but more excited to simply be with him.

"Well, actually, I've booked us reservations. For tonight. Our first official date," he glances over at me, uncertainty in his eyes. I remind myself to reassure him every chance I get that I want him as much as he wants me.

"I would love that," I tell him, grasping his hand in mine.

"I'm glad," he says, raising the back of my hand to his lips. "I hope you're in the mood for Cajun."


End file.
